Description

White Noise Online is a reworking of White Noise: A tale of Horror. The basic concept is identical to the original game. It is a first-person survival horror game entirely focused on exploration without combat or puzzle-solving and very similar to the Slender Man games. The player explores an environment only armed with a flashlight. To win the game you have to collect eight recorders with audiotapes left behind by a journalist friend. As it is entirely dark and only a small part of the environment can be illuminated, navigating the area is disorienting. Next to the overall scenery, there are various distinct landmarks with statues and buildings. Just like the Slender games there is a creature, but here it actively chases you. Its presence is made known through audio clues and visual hints. To survive, the only option is to turn off the flashlight and run, hoping it will be gone when you turn on the light again. If it catches up, it kills the character immediately. Staring at it from a distance slowly drains health. There are also green glowing statues that do not chase characters, but have the same effect on the player as the monster. The title refers to the white noise you hear when you are near a recorder.

Even though it can be played solo like the original title, it has been turned into a cooperative game for up to four players simultaneously, exploring and collecting the tapes together. The original location has been expanded with five additional ones, offering six scenarios in total. They are not variations of the original rural environment, but offer entirely new locations such as a government base, a tropical island, a forest in winter, a museum etc. These are divided into three types: large, open areas, small corridor-like areas, an open areas with different locations connected through bridges or tunnels. There are over twenty characters to choose from, each with their own perk. One has higher evasion points to lower the chance of encountering the creature, while others have better flashlights, hearing, stamina, movement speed, and scout (distance between other characters before the panic state is triggered). There are only four characters at the start and the others are unlocked gradually. Players can choose to stay together as a group or explore in different directions to each collect some of the tapes. If alone however, it is possible for a panic state to be triggered, causing the character to utter sounds, attracting the monster. The only way to resolve this is by finding other party members or a tape.

If a character dies, the game is not over. Instead, the character's corpse remain and it is reincarnated as one of the ghosts who were also presented in the original game. As a ghost you can freely explore the environment, scare the other players, stay close to prevent the panic state or attempt to locate the remaining records with the enhanced sight. When the game is over a replay option offers to view the paths the different characters have followed in the session. There are four difficulty levels, influencing the monster's difficulty, the amount of green statues and the placement of the recorders.

The PC version has improved graphics and allows all characters to be unlocked in-game, while for the Xbox 360 version some unlocks depend on owning other games.